The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor memory, and more particularly, relates to a memory package, a memory module having the same, and an operating method thereof.
A semiconductor memory may be a memory device that is implemented using a semiconductor such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phospide (InP), or the like. Semiconductor memory devices are typically divided into a volatile memory device and a nonvolatile memory device.
A volatile memory device refers to a memory device in which stored data is lost when a power supply is shut down. On the other hand, a nonvolatile memory device refers to a memory device that retains stored data when a power supply is shut down. Because a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that is a kind of volatile memory device has a high access speed, the DRAM is widely used as a working memory, a buffer memory, a main memory, and the like of a computing system. With the development of computing technologies, a demand on DRAM as a working memory of computing systems is increasing. Because a DRAM memory cell generally includes a capacitor and a transistor, it is difficult to reduce a cell size smaller than a constant level. Thus, it is difficult to implement a high-capacity DRAM within a limited area.
To address this issue, a nonvolatile dual in-line memory module (NVDIMM) that operates based on a nonvolatile memory and a DRAM has been developed. The NVDIMM may provide a high-capacity working memory by combining a high-capacity nonvolatile memory and a DRAM. However, because an operating characteristic, an operating method, and the like of the nonvolatile memory are different from those of the DRAM, various methods may need to be used for controlling and managing them.